Pakistan-made cosmetics worth Rs 7 lakh seized in Hyderabad, wider network suspected

Pakistan-made cosmetics, including skin-whitening creams and soaps, are allegedly being sold in Hyderabad despite lacking mandatory approvals. Task Force officials and CDSCO recently seized products worth around Rs 7 lakh, while police are investigating a wider distribution network.

Hyderabad: Of late, several Pakistan-made cosmetics have increasingly been finding their way into the city’s retail market, with products including skin-whitening creams and soaps allegedly being sold at shops despite lacking the mandatory approvals for import and sale in India.

Though the trade has reportedly been going on for some time, the issue was recently highlighted after the Task Force, Rajendranagar Zone, along with Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) officials, seized Pakistan-made cosmetics worth around Rs 7 lakh from shops in Habeeb Nagar and Nampally.

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The seized products included beauty creams and soaps manufactured in Pakistan and marketed primarily for skin-whitening purposes.

According to Task Force officials, the products were among those identified as unauthorised cosmetics in a recent CDSCO public notice and had not been granted the required registration certificate for import into India.

It was also found that the products were not confined to a single outlet. “Our teams found similar cosmetics allegedly being sold by other local sellers in other markets. The role of other vendors is also being examined,” said a senior Task Force official.

A key lead in the investigation is a Mumbai-based supplier who allegedly sourced the Pakistan-made cosmetics from outside India and supplied them to dealers in Hyderabad.

With the possibility of a larger network, the city police are now trying to establish how these products entered the country and how widely they were distributed across the city.

Authorities are also checking stocks allegedly kept in a godown and examining purchase bills, transportation records and payment transactions to trace the distribution network.

The presence of the cosmetics has raised concerns not only over unauthorised imports but also about consumer safety.

CDSCO officials have pointed out that certain products covered by the regulatory warning were found to contain heavy metals above permissible limits, potentially exposing users to health risks.

A case has been registered under sections of the BNS and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The investigation is underway to identify the wider network involved in bringing and distributing the products in the city.